One of the unique nicknames in all of intercollegiate athletics belongs to The University of Akron. Originally Zippers, athletic director Kenneth Red Cochrane officially shortened the nickname to the Zips in 1950. Twenty-five years earlier a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname for the University's athletic teams. Suggestions submitted by students, faculty, and alumni included Golden Blue Devils, Tip Toppers, Rubbernecks, Hillbillies, Kangaroos, and Cheveliers. The winner, freshman Margaret Hamlin, received a prize of $10 for Zippers. The name is in reference to the rubber overshoes made by the Goodrich Corporation, BF Goodrich Company, that were nationally popular in the 1920s and 1930s. The university's mascot is "Zippy", a kangaroo. Zippy is one of only a few female college mascots in the United States.